MISSION — Sharyland Pioneer’s Daisy Monie came bitterly close to tasting gold.
The Diamondbacks’ star thrower narrowly missed out on an individual state championship in return to the University Interscholastic League’s State Track & Field Championships as a sophomore.
Monie earned a second-place finish in discus with a 134-foot throw, burying the rest of her competition but missing out on the top spot on the podium by a little more than 3 feet.
Now, after a trying wait and two-year hiatus brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, Monie has again earned her spot at the UIL’s Class 5A State Track & Field Championships on Friday in Austin and a shot at redemption as she aims for dual state titles in her final high school competition.
“Getting second at state has made me hungrier than I have ever been,” she said. “I’m pumped and excited to go out and show out for my family, my church, my school, and my community. I’m so thankful that God has blessed me with yet another state appearance.”
Monie has thrived in the Diamondbacks track and field program, continuing her family legacy as champion throwers and becoming the latest in a long line of state championship contenders in both discus and shot put hailing from the Rio Grande Valley.
One of her two older sisters, Nora Monie, excelled during her time at Sharyland Pioneer.
Before winning the 2020 American Athletic Conference championship in shot put and shattering the Cameroonian national discus record in 2021, Nora captured district, area, regional and state titles during her senior season at Pioneer.
It’s a track record of success that Daisy Monie is on pace to duplicate after nearly a year away from competition due to a disrupted junior season.
“The last two years have consisted of training, getting my form/technique right, and maintaining my faith with God,” she said. “I’m very thankful and proud of myself for being able to represent my family, my school, my church, and my community behind me in a positive way. I’m very proud of myself for being able to stay consistent with marks and I’m very grateful that I (have been) able to handle the pressure and all the nerves.”
Monie has been nothing short of dominant during her senior season, intent on climbing back to the top of the sport and competing for an elusive state championship.
Between both shot put and discus, she has swept first place in 16 of her 18 events so far this year and finished no worse than second.
“She’s just showing the program what it is to be a dedicated athlete,” Sharyland Pioneer head girls track and field coach Claudia Garza said. “She works hard here at practice, and then she does extra things outside of practice, which I think makes the younger girls really look up to her. … They just see that leadership that comes from her family and what it takes to be really, really, very well rounded as a student-athlete.”
Monie broke the Valley’s all-time shot put record with a throw of 47 feet, 2 inches at the PSJA Bear Relays in late March and took second place in the event at the Region IV-5A meet two weeks ago.
She also came within 3 inches of setting a new personal record in discus at the area meet, running away with first place after recording a 145-foot, 7-inch hurl.
Those throws have her ranked as the top thrower in the shot put and give her the third-best mark in discus of all 5A track and field athletes across Texas this year entering the state championships.
“I’m feeling extremely confident going into the state meet. I’ve had a great week at practice, and I’m excited to finish my senior year off with a bang,” Monie said. “I think that my previous appearances at the state meet play a huge role in controlling my nerves. Knowing that I’ve thrown in those rings before and that I’ve competed in that stadium before is keeping my mind and body at peace.”
Monie hopes that the third time will be the charm during her third trip to the UIL’s State Track & Field Championships before she joins the Houston Cougars to continue her career collegiately in the fall.
For Monie, however, nothing — not even dual state titles — can compare to overcoming every obstacle in her way to get back to the pinnacle of high school competition to represent the Rio Grande Valley again on the state’s biggest stage.
“It means the world to get this opportunity to be able to compete in both of my events. I’m very excited to go out there and represent the 956,” she said.
“Just thinking about that brings me to tears. I don’t know what will happen at the state meet, but I have already left the meet in God’s hands. It would mean the world to bring home the gold for my city. I’m feeling very confident going into Friday’s competition. Now it’s time to go out there, have fun and see what happens.”
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Twitter: @ByAndyMcCulloch
